Technical innovations

Technical innovations

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Rockets are simply amazing. We love everything about them: we like watching them launch, we like the technology behind them, but most importantly we love telling others about our fascination with rockets. It seems that rockets are not so hugely popular, so we’ve decided to assemble a short article to introduce you with 5 of the most interesting facts about rockets. We’ve browsed through NASA’s brief history of rockets and picked the most interesting facts for you! Read carefully, rocket fans:

Although the rocket engineering is a complex matter, the main principles on how rockets are built and launched are fairly simple.

Try an experiment: fill a balloon with air and then let the air out. What happens? The air goes one way, and the balloon goes in exact the opposite direction. It is the same with rockets. Exhaust gasses coming out of the rocket push it in the opposite direction at very high speed. It requires massive quantities of fuel to provide enough propulsion and speed to overcome the Earth’s gravity.Continue reading

It is immensely important to be safe at all times when handling dangerous materials, rockets and anything that can cause serious damage. Don’t overestimate yourself and don’t make assumptions. You are not fate’s favorite and not everything you do will be free from mistakes and errors.

Make sure you think about safety first and rockets second.

SAFETY TIPS:

Check your ego at the door. You and me, we are human beings prone to errors and our own stupidity. Don’t underestimate the danger

Make sure you wear protective glasses, good waterproof and slip-resistant footwear (such as these pull on work boots for example)

Make sure that your launch site is suitable for launching model rockets. Assess your surroundings. Make sure that everything is safe. I always make sure that I am outdoors and use clear launching site big enough for my rocket launching needs

Use quality materials – I prefer lightweight and non-metal parts for the main parts of my rockets

Engines – use only certified and commercially made motors. Don’t play engineer and don’t tamper with the engine you bought

Use safe electrical ignition system

Avoiding misfires. If the rocket does not launch after the button is pressed, I will disconnect the battery and keep clear for at least a minute before I try a second attempt or I approach the rocket

Use countdown to launch and keep safety distance of at least 15 feet for smaller engines and 30 feet for larger engines

Propellant weight and rocket size. I will not use rockets heavier than 53 ounces and will not carry more than 4.4. oz of propellant

No launching at targets, clouds or other airplanes

Safe return of the rocket. I use recovery system that allows my rocket to return undamaged and that it can be flown again. Such recovery systems are steamers or parachutes

Safe during recovery. If by any change my rocket launches on power lines, very tall trees or any other dangerous places, I will never consider to recover it.

It might sound like a joke, but there is a guy out there (pun intended) that will literally run the London marathon from Space. He is a British Astronaut, currently living in the International Space Station.

I was flabbergasted when I read the press release “Tim Peake to run London marathon from space”. I never really knew that they had fitness equipment out there. Having known that every pound of weight is extremely expensive to send to space, I never imagined that they even had a fully equipped treadmill in space. Wow.

So, Tim decided to take his exercise to another level and compete in the London marathon. The competition is expected to have more than 30,000 participants and will start on 24 April at 10:00 GMT.

At the same time, Tim will strap himself to the treadmill and compete with the rest. Will he be off to a flying start? Sure! But, there is a catch. Running at space requires some additional equipment – Tim will have to wear a harness that will keep him floating away from the treadmill. It is a full harness system with a waist belt and shoulder straps. That will surely put some down force on the run. Wearing that harness starts to get extremely uncomfortable only after 40 minutes. Tim most certainly have to wear it for more than 3:30 hours if he wants to finish the marathon.

While the attempt is not ground breaking, there are some whining people out there who prefer to skip running due to some blatant reasons, such as having bunions or flat feet. Come on people! With the wide range of sport shoes available on the market for virtually any type of feet, you have little excuse not to go to the treadmill, too! You didn’t know that there were shoes specifically for bunions with wider toe box? Now you know, go get a pair and do your workout!

So, enough rant, back to our astronaut. While he has no dreams of beating a record, his reasons for participating are: increasing awareness for Prince’s trust that helps young people aged 13 to 30 get into jobs, education and training; interacting with Earth more, challenging what is possible.